Public Health Approach to Primary Prevention

The
4 Step Public Health Approach was developed by the CDC and takes a
multi-disciplinary approach and outlines how to best prevent violence.
The steps are: define and monitor the problem, identify risk and
protective factors, develop and test prevention strategies, and assure
widespread adoption.

The
Social-Ecological Model provides a framework for prevention that
demonstrates the four levels of society that impact violence. The four
levels are individual, relationship, community and societal. Each level
has factors that interact with those at different levels and an approach
that targets multiple levels is more likely to have a sustained impact.

Individual -The first level identifies biological and
personal history factors that increase the likelihood of becoming a
victim or perpetrator of violence.

Relationship - The second level examines close
relationships, including a person’s peers, partners, and family members,
that may increase the risk of experiencing violence as a victim or
perpetrator.

Community - The third level explores the settings, such
as schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods, in which social relationships
occur and seeks to identify the characteristics of these settings that
are associated with becoming victims or perpetrators of violence.

Societal - The fourth level looks at the broad societal
factors that help create a climate in which violence is encouraged or
inhibited. These factors include social and cultural norms that support
violence as an acceptable way to resolve conflicts.

What Are Risk and Protective Factors?

Risk Factors are conditions or characteristics that
increase the likelihood of sexual and domestic violence perpetration and
victimization. Risk factors do not necessarily directly cause sexual and
domestic violence, but their presence increases the chance of
perpetration and victimization. Risk factors can be characteristics of
an individual or conditions present in the environment. Risk factors can
be used to help focus prevention efforts. These factors are supported by
research and/or practical experience from the field.

Protective Factors are conditions or characteristics
that decrease the likelihood of sexual and domestic violence
perpetration and victimization, while also facilitating a broad range of
related positive outcomes. A single protective factor does not
necessarily directly prevent sexual and domestic violence, but the
presence of multiple protective factors decreases the chance of
perpetration and victimization. Protective factors can be
characteristics of an individual or conditions present in the
environment. Protective factors can be used to help focus prevention
efforts. These factors are supported by research and/or practical
experience from the field.

Risk Factors

Protective Factors

Individual

Belief in strict gender roles

Desire for power and control

Academic achievement

Personal beliefs in gender equality and behaviors
consistent with that belief

Relationship

Abuses of power

Unhealthy family relationships and interactions

Parental use of reasoning to resolve family conflict

Peers/families/partners identify and respond to
behaviors that are precursors to IPV/SV

Many forms of violence share the same root causes, risk and
protective factors. Recently more resources have become available to
assist organizations in identifying opportunities to coordinate and
collaborate across various types of violence prevention work.

The Improve Group created a
discussion guide for viewers of the webinar. It is designed
to take around 20 minutes.

The Improve Group created a
Power Point presentation synthesizing the information from
Virginia’s Guidelines for the Primary Prevention of Sexual Violence
& Intimate Partner Violence and the Connecting the Dots report,
which includes discussion questions and points of reflection.